MSE News: Benefits 'may be linked to pay, not inflation'

Midnighter

What'll happen when, as it inevitably will, we go through a period of high wage infaltion? No doubt the masses will start bleating again.

rogerblack

somethingcorporate wrote: »

And rightly so. Seems bitterly unfair that those on low pay see their pay frozen or tiny increases whilst those on benefits see 5%+ rises. It encourages the wrong kind of behavior.

To quote Morlock in an earlier thread.

He didn't 'uprate' benefits by 4.8%. Benefits have always been linked to the retail prices index but were recently linked instead to the consumer prices index. Historically, the RPI has always risen more than the CPI, that was the motivation behind the switch from CPI to RPI, to lower the inflation rate of benefits.

An anomaly in the CPI in 2012 meant that benefits rose more than they would have done under RPI, at which point IDS tried to back pedal. The 4.8% rise was not intentional, but was the the resultant backfiring of a policy that was meant to lower the inflation rate of benefits.

Pincher

You have to make up your mind whether to help the needy or to shoot them. Homeless and hungry means they will come at you for what you have, because they think you don't give a toss about them, so why should they care YOU live or die. If you want to help them, just enough to stay alive is not good enough.

Now that Judge Dredd is back, remember they recycle dead bodies of criminals, who are just the poor who turned desperate, then nasty. So, very good benefit for six months, including training and help in job hunting, then EXECUTE them. The logic being we will cut off the benefit completely after six months, they will turn desperate and become a menace to society.

somethingcorporate

Let me ask the question to the nay-sayers then. Why should benefits rise faster than wages? (which is the situation this move is looking to prevent).

BurnleyBob

foofi22 wrote: »

Not sure what talking sheep have to do with this.

Yes, great idea, at last

Those in receipt of benefits are merely maintaining their purchasing power by index-linking. They are not becoming richer.

But they are relative to those who are not maintaining their purchasing power, people like the average worker whose pay only rose 1.6% in the past year.

So, it is as you state a 'great idea' if you get a thrill from the interminable grind of the majority of Britons becoming poorer year on year.

My best guess is you are either a banker, linked to some mega corporation, or, far, far, more likely, spend far too much of your free time watching the X-Factor, etc, etc, rather than indulging in critical thinking.

It appears to me that an awful lot of people around here mistakenly believe that they are and will be immune from the effects of the reforms that the coalition are introducing. Most of them will be in for some great shocks in the years ahead because the transfer of wealth from west to east will accelerate.

grey_gym_sock

so the government is implying that they expect wages to continue to fall in real terms. that's quite an admission.

in "normal" times, wages used to rise more than inflation.

somethingcorporate: there is a good case for benefits and the minimum wage rising at the same or at least a similar rate. the government is trying to turn the working poor against the non-working poor.

MissMoneypenny

Cpt.Scarlet wrote: »

Like eating proper food, heating your home in the winter, making sure your children are clothed, you're right, truly awful behaviour.

I think they are planning to get help direct to these children, to avoid those type of "parents" who nick their childs welfare money.

Less welfare to the parents; no chance to steal their kids welfare money - what will they do.........hmmm.......................work, perhaps?

Cpt.Scarlet

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

I think they are planning to get help direct to these children, to avoid those type of "parents" who nick their childs welfare money.

Less welfare to the parents; no chance to steal their kids welfare money - what will they do.........hmmm.......................work, perhaps?

Even if this was true, which I doubt, are you suggesting that benefit is paid directly to the child? It has nothing to do with the topic of the thread, which is breaking the link between benefits and CPI.

ILW

Food vouchers are the way to go. For a set amount of healthy food for each family member.
Cannot be used for McD or fags and a criminal offence to sell them or buy them.

FBaby

Considering the increasing number of threads we can read here highlighting that it is not beneficial for those on benefits to take a minimum wage job because they would be no better off, is there really a choice but to insure that the two are linked?